1. Technical Field
One or more embodiments include a computerized system and method for recommending materials for one or more parts in a part design, sourcing, and manufacturing process.
2. Background Art
Recently, the price for commodities such as steel has been rising sharply. Some vehicle manufacturers, for example, have been particularly affected by these price changes. These increases can cause a drain on a vehicle company's finances sometimes in the hundred's of millions of dollars. Moreover, while the price of commodities is increasing, the cost of material processing technologies is decreasing. For example, the cost of laser welding technologies has significantly reduced over the past few years. These factors contribute to challenges in designing vehicle parts, for example, meeting part attribute requirements (such as performance and cost) while using the best manufacturing alternative possible.
Various examples exist in the prior art that attempt to provide a solution for this complexity. A thesis paper entitled “Concurrent Engineering in Manufacturing” authored by Don Anderson provides an overview and analysis of the concept of Concurrent Engineering. The paper discusses the scope of Concurrent Engineering in manufacturing through the use of examples and by describing its benefits in Computer-Integrated Manufacturing.
Another paper entitled “Design for Manufacture and Assembly on the Internet” authored by Huang, G. Q., et al. discusses the use of the Internet with respect to design for manufacture and assembly (DFMA) techniques. The paper discusses an experiment that is conducted to illustrate how a design-for-assembly technique, typically performed on a standalone workstation, can be converted into a web-based version.
While these papers describe processes having benefits in their own right, the prior art still lacks a complete process that takes information from all relevant aspects of part production including, but not limited to, design, purchasing, and manufacturing to determine a manufacturing solution that meets part requirements, but is also financially sound. That is, what would further benefit a vehicle development and production process is a web-based tool that recommends materials using not only manufacturing information, but also sourcing information at the beginning stages of part production.